With a “heavy heart” the Swanage Carnival team say they’ve decided that Swanage Carnival will not take place this year due to the uncertainty that still remains surrounding the Covid pandemic.
The nine day extravaganza which includes a parade, musical performances, airshows, games, exhibitions, fireworks and the famous beer tent was due to take place from Saturday 31st July to Saturday 7th August 2021.
The popular Swanage Carnival Parade
Risk losing thousands of pounds
Following much agonising debate the committee decided to cancel because of the significant risk that the event would not be able to take place as normal due to Covid and the risk of losing thousands of pounds, that as a charity, they could ill afford.
On a happier note, the team has set a new date for next year, Saturday 30th July to Saturday 6th August 2022.
In some years, the crowd has been treated to a display by the Red Arrows
Full statement by the committee
“We are sad to announce that Swanage Carnival is cancelled for the second year running due to the pandemic.
“We want to run a safe event that protects the public and our members. We do not know what social distancing restrictions may remain in place during the summer.
“Still no clear guidance”
“There is still no clear guidance for the staging of mass events and in particular how mitigation measures such as testing or any form of certification to reduce the risk of infection would be implemented or offered for free at outdoor events. And, although the UK vaccination programme is progressing very well, it will not be complete before our event.
“As there is a significant risk that our event would not be able to run as normal, we have had to consider our potential losses if we planned to go ahead, but were forced to cancel or restrict our event at a later stage.
“We do not feel it will be appropriate to seek sponsorship as we usually would due to the difficult circumstances faced by many of our sponsors, and as we have reached a point in time when non-refundable deposits must be paid, we risk losing thousands of pounds.
“As a voluntary organisation that is funded by money raised by Swanage Carnival and donated by sponsors and supporters, we do not feel we can justify such a loss.
“Influx of people to the town”
“In addition to this, the influx of people to the town, when there is still such a degree of uncertainty, may understandably be a concern for many.
“It is therefore with a heavy heart that we cancel our event for 2021 and once again put all our efforts towards the year ahead.”
Masquerade night at Swanage Carnival
Further information
More about Swanage Carnival is on its website
